History was made at Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide during Morocco's clash with South Korea when Nouhaila Benzina entered the field.
When the 25-year-old defender made her first ever appearance at the Women's World Cup, she also became the first ever player to play minutes at the tournament whilst wearing a hijab.
It is a landmark moment for the competition and for football, as such an occurrence was not possible even a decade ago, whilst it also highlights the rise in popularity of football in Muslim countries.
The Sporting News looks at Benzina's story and her groundbreaking moment in Australia.
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Who is Nouhaila Benzina?
Nouhaila Benzina is a defender for the Moroccan national team, as well as for highly successful Moroccan club side AS FAR.
She was involved in the Morocco national set-up at Under-20s level before being promoted to the senior side and playing a role in their first ever qualification for the World Cup.
She was named in the final 23-player squad for the tournament in Australia and New Zealand, and she was on the bench for their opening clash against Germany in Melbourne.
She did not see the field, and Morocco were defeated 6-0 by the heavyweights.
But she started the second match against Morocco on July 30 which saw her country record a 1-0 win over South Korea.
What is the hijab?
In modern parlance, a hijab is a name given to head coverings worn by many Muslim women.
Whilst there are different types of hijab, the term generally refers to a headscarf wrapped around the head and neck, covering the hair and ears, while the face is left visible.
In Iran, Afghanistan and the Indonesian province of Aceh, it is a legal requirement for all women to wear the hijab, while Saudi Arabia used to have this law until it was repealed in 2018.
History of the hijab in football
The hijab first made news in the football world during a junior soccer tournament in Canada in February 2007.
Eleven-year-old Asmahan Mansour attempted to wear the headscarf at a tournament she was participating in, but she was denied the opportunity to do so by the referee; when Mansour appealed the decision to FIFA, they upheld the referee's decision and issued a ban on the hijab due to health and safety concerns, though FIFA also cited a rule where "basic compulsory equipment must not have any political, religious or personal statement".
In 2012, the ban was temporarily lifted in a 'trial' in the Asian Football Confederation, and in 2014 FIFA officially removed the ban entirely, which was said to have led to an increase in Muslim girls and women playing football.
The ban was not lifted in every part of the world: France is notable for still banning players from wearing the hijab to this day.
The hijab at the World Cup
The hijab had never previously been worn at the Women's World cup, partly due to the ban, but also because of the lack of teams playing at the tournament from countries with a Muslim majority population. That changed with Morocco's qualification for the 2023 World Cup.
Benzina's appearance on the bench against Germany made her the first player wearing a hijab to be selected on the team sheet at the tournament, and her debut against South Korea marked the historic milestone of the first time the hijab has been seen on the pitch during a World Cup game at senior level.
However, it is not the first international match in which a hijab has been worn.
On August 30, 2016, host nation Jordan faced Spain in the Under-17 Women's World Cup in the opening match of the first FIFA tournament to be played in the Middle East. As players carried out a final prayer before kickoff at a packed Amman International Stadium, two of Jordan's squad exercised their right to wear a hijab: Tasneem Abu-Rob and Rand Albustanji.